On
the 1st September 1939, two days before the outbreak of war, Britain was blacked
out. The Blackout imposed on all civilians in all cities was
absolute. No chinks of light, no see through curtains, no car
headlights. Even the red glow of a cigarette was banned. Britain was
plunged into complete
darkness.

BRITAIN
PREPARES

Before
the outbreak of war the Air Ministry had forecast that Britain would be exposed to
sudden air attacks that would cause high civilian casualties and mass
destruction from enemy night bombers.

To counter this threat it was
widely agreed that if man-made lights on the ground could be put out then the
enemy would find it difficult to navigate and pinpoint their targets. It
was believed that if Blackout controls were introduced, it would make the enemy bombers job more
difficult. Indeed as early as July 1939, Public Information Leaflet No 2
(issued as part of the Air Raid Patrol (A.R.P.) training literature)
warned civilians that everybody would need to play their part and ensure that
the Blackout regulations were properly enforced during the Blackout periods.

HOUSEHOLDS
IN THE BLACKOUT

The
Government ensured that there was enough Blackout material for each
household. Blackout material had to be readily available but cheap enough even
for the poorest families. In most cases black cotton fabric was used
meaning that the bigger the house you had the more you
had to pay for your windows to be covered. That is all except the local
vicar who was given a certain amount of sympathy when asked to Blackout his
vicarage.

Putting up Blackout material proved more time consuming than was first imagined and quickly became a
tedious chore for most families.

Families could spend a long time putting
up the Blackout materials only to find that one thickness of fabric was not enough to stop
light from escaping and drawing the attention of a A.R.P. warden or eagle eyed
neighbour. Indeed two or three thicknesses was often
required before all light was snuffed out. Even pinning these sheets
to window frames could prove troublesome. Householders were lucky if
they had wooden
frames but many had stone or metal frames proving that hanging this fabric could
be an achievement in itself. Some tried to save
time by lining their windows with black paper and pins. This was fine
initially but with the continuous taking down and putting back up this method
didn't last long!

PICTURE:
Blackout times for today are..........

PUT OUT
THAT LIGHT!

With
the introduction of the Blackout came stringent regulations and harsh punishment
for people that did not adhere to these rules. The local A.R.P.
could report anyone to the local
authorities if any sign of a light was seen. Many householders would
sit and wait for that knock on the door to tell them they had a chink of
light shining from their homes. Being reported could lead to a hefty
fine or in some cases an appearance in court.

BUSINESSES
ARE HIT HARD

Factories

Businesses
faced even greater difficulties with the introduction of the Blackout. Many factories had glass roofs which had to be painted black meaning
that workers had to work day and night under the glare of artificial
lights. This proved difficult for workers by affecting their morale and expensive for their
employers.

Local
Shopkeepers

Local
shopkeepers didn't fair much better either. As well as darkening their windows
they had the added dilemma of how customers could leave their shops without any
light escaping. The solution meant a double door much like a
photographer's dark room where people would open one door and shut it behind them before
opening the main shop door.

ROAD
ACCIDENTS ON THE INCREASE

Total
darkness was exciting for some because it meant their first glimpse of the
night sky with no reflection of city lights. However for most trying to
get around was confusing, frightening and dangerous. Road accidents
were on the increase and drownings also rose dramatically where people
fell off bridges and into rivers or into ponds.

As can be seen from the newspaper
clipping on this page (see below) fatalities and serious injuries were a reality of the
Blackout.

PICTURE:
Press
article from the Daily Sketch

PICTURE:
Press
article from the Daily Sketch warning people to be careful
in the Blackout

CRIME
DURING THE BLACKOUT

People
complained bitterly that the Blackout saw crime rocket, particularly
petty crime such as pick pocketing and the raiding of vegetable
patches (see our page on Dig
For Victory). Crime did increase but not as much as people
exaggerated. The simple fact is that petty criminals could
never be sure if people were at home or not during the Blackout and
often thought it better not to take the chance of breaking into
houses in case they came face to face with the householder!

THE GRADUAL LIFTING OF RESTRICTIONS

A jingle
around at the beginning of Blackout restrictions entitled Billy Brown's own
highway code seemed to say it all. The fact that authorities endorsed
this jingle indicated a softening of stance as well. Before mid October
1939 no torches were allowed at all but now they seemed to be permitted.

For
Blackouts is 'Stay off the Road'.

He'll
never step out and begin

To
meet a bus that's pulling in.

He
doesn't wave his torch at night,

But
'flags' his bus with something white.

He
never jostles in a queue

But
waits and takes his turn. Do you?

The Using Of Torches
Permitted

By the New Year it was widely agreed
by the authorities that restrictions needed to be lifted to try and alleviate the numbers of
pedestrian accidents. One
measure was the issuing of a small pocket torch (the No. 8). However
No. 8 batteries for these torches were scarce and most people continued to
wander aimlessly in the dark.

If you were lucky enough to have
batteries it was necessary to place tissue paper over the main beam of the
torch and
point it downwards. The torches could be used to hail a bus during
the Blackout but the Ministry of Information stated that the following must be
adhered to.

PICTURE:
Poster reminding pedestrians not to flag a bus with their torch

'Shine
your torch in a downwards direction so that the beam lights up your feet.
As the bus approaches, switch the light of the torch on and off
twice. Never shine the torch into the face of the bus driver, Do not
shine your torch up at the destination board.'

Due
to the high road casualties in 1940 the speed limit for motorists was
reduced to 20 mph during the Blackout. Central white lines were
painted in the middle of roads (which are still with us today) and curb
edges were painted white as well. Kerb finders could also be used
which were attached to a walking stick or umbrella.

PICTURE:
'He
thought he could do it!' Poster reminding motorists to adhere to the
new speed limit

Pedestrians were reminded
also that they should always walk facing the traffic and that they should
carry or wear something white. Armbands were also worn that were
luminous in the dark. These were exposed to the daylight to absorb
light and emitted light in darkness.

PICTURE:
'Wear or carry something white' poster

DRIVING IN THE
BLACKOUT

The
following poster reminded motorists of how they should prepare and use
their car in the Blackout. It told them that
they should display no interior lights and use a slit mask (comprising of
3 horizontal slits) for the headlamp, an ingenious
invention introduced in 1940. Indicators had to be dimmed and the
red rear lamp also had to be reduced. In reality lights were so dim
and pointed downwards that most motorists could not see the signs
as to where they were going. Eventually due to this and also petrol rationing
fewer and fewer cars were seen on the road during World War Two.

PICTURE:
Poster advising motorists of how they should prepare and use
their car in the Blackout

OTHER
POSTERS REMINDING PEOPLE TO BE SENSIBLE IN THE BLACKOUT

There were a great deal of posters
during the war reminding people to be careful during the Blackout.
The following gives a few examples of posters you may have seen at this
time.

PICTURE:
Poster reminding people to count and wait before moving in the
Blackout

PICTURE:
Carrots were one vegetable in plentiful supply and as a result widely utilised as a
substitute for the more scarce commodities Here people are reminded that
carrots can also help you to see
better in the dark. See our page on Dig
For Victory

PICTURE:
Another poster reminding pedestrians to look out in the Blackout

A
LIGHT HEARTED VIEW OF THE BLACKOUT

Despite
the strict Blackout regulations enforced on a tired Britain, Britons did not
lose their spirit as the following comic strip proved in the darker days of
World War Two.

PICTURE:
A comic view of how the Blackout could have its advantages!

BLACKOUT
TURNS TO DIM-OUT

The
Dim-out was introduced in September 1944 and meant that lighting the equivalent
of moonlight could at long last be introduced. However the authorities
still insisted that a full Blackout should be imposed if an alert was
sounded. People all over the country breathed a sigh of relief. The Blackout
was a restriction imposed on ordinary people that was both unpopular and often
resented because of the time it wasted. Full lighting of streets that had not been
seen since before the war eventually came in April 1945. Symbolically for
Londoners it was the illumination of Big Ben that ended the Blackout in
London. This came on the 30th April 1945, 5 years and
123 days to the day of when the Blackout descended on Britain.